On May 27, 2018—one week ago today—the heartbreaking news was that Gardner Dozois had died suddenly in a hospital of an infection at the age of seventy.

As most people in the science fiction and fantasy business know, Dozois was the editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine for many years, the editor of the indispensable Year’s Best Science Fiction anthologies for an astounding thirty-seven years, and a published writer himself, most recently with stories in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the January-February 2018 issue with “Neanderthals“ (my story in that issue was “Aurelia”) and the May-June 2018 issue with “Unstoppable” (my story in that issue was “The Bicycle Whisperer”). His wife, the writer Susan Casper, had died after long and painful illnesses a year ago.

At the beginning of my writing career, Dozois acquired four stories of mine for Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, enabling me to build a publishing resume that served as a platform for me to sell my first novel, Arachne, to William Morrow in hardcover, in trade paperback by Eos, in mass market paperback by AvoNova, and in another trade paperback edition by Bast Books. Nine novels have followed, a short story collection, several screenplays, and a major movie deal based on the short story, “Tomorrow’s Child”, published in Omni Magazine.

I’m eternally grateful for Gardner for giving me a chance back in the day. Although Asimov’s, the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Analog are small-format magazines, don’t pay much, and have limited distribution, the competition among writers—even established writers with many novels to their names—to be published in those forums is fierce.

I met Gardner only briefly three times, after I’d sold stories to him—once at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Author-Editor Reception in New York; a second time at the WorldCon in San Francisco; and a third at the WorldCon in Los Angeles. He was gracious and friendly on all three occasions. Countless other writers and editors deemed him a dear friend and a regular at Science Fiction World Conventions (“WorldCons”) and other venues. A lively fixture who will be greatly missed.

And so. The first story I sold to Gardner was “Guardian,” about an African-American gallerist who must fight a brutal burglar preying on her condo building with voodoo. The next was “The Oniomancer,” about a punk Chinese-American bicycle messenger who finds an alien artifact on the street.

Finally, Gardner bought “Hummers,” about a woman dying of cancer who learns to reconcile herself to her impending death through Egyptian magic and the hummingbirds who visit her feeder. I remember walking up to Gardner at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where he sat in the lobby at a table with a bunch of editors and thanking him for buying “Hummers.” And he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “That was a good story.” “Hummers” was nominated for the Nebula Award (the late Roger Zelazny voted for it) and chosen for the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5th Annual Collection (St. Martin’s Press). The award-winning Terri Windling, one of the editors of the anthology, wrote a beautiful introduction. I’ve also published this as an ebook short story at Hummers (in Fifth Annual Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror) on BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. Also on Kindle in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, and India.

So there you have it, my friends. Short stories are a part of the culture, a part of literature, an important way for writers to express themselves and for readers to appreciate their work and their consciousness.

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As I was reorganizing some files, I came across the full text of this review of Strange Ladies: 7 Stories that was published in the Book Brothers Blog. Here ‘tis:

“When the Book Brothers first received a copy of Strange Ladies: 7 Stories, we were immediately intrigued by the title. What can we say, there has always been a soft spot in our hearts for strange ladies. So, we decided to tackle Strange Ladies immediately and the results were not disappointing (no pun intended).

Strange Ladies is a short and easy read you can probably breeze through in a quiet evening or two. The 7 shorts presented are all entirely different from one another, each creating a vibrant picture of its setting and inhabitants. Even the character dialogue in each story is clearly defined. Lisa Mason does not strike us as an author not willing to take chances.

The first tale is titled, The Oniomancer. It follows a Chinese-American bicycle messenger by the name of Chinadoll. Chinadoll is a punk rocker, living in a world full of eccentric characters. She has a penchant for finding things and one day comes across a strange item in the streets. This object will change her life forever.

Guardian tells the tale of a Vaughn Kennedy, a woman purchasing her first home. Vaughn is very much like you and me, struggling over simple day-to-day decisions. However, when a thief threatens the neighborhood, Vaughn turns to an unlikely source for protection.

The story Felicitas introduces us to yet another Strange Lady. In this tale, we are introduced to a young Mexican illegal immigrant who also happens to be a shape shifter. She sits in her cell awaiting her execution and reflects on her past.

Stripper follows an exotic dancer by the name of Sashi, who has the unique ability to bend the space-time continuum. This story is complex, but has some interesting underlying themes challenging preconceived notions about female sexuality and gender roles. Oh, and she also fights the mafia.

In Triad, we are introduced to Dana Anad, who lives half the time as a woman and the other half as a man. This is another gender bending tale that challenges traditional male/female roles. It is a unique love story not quite like anything we have ever read before.

Destination was inspired by an actual event in Lisa Mason’s life. In it, the female lead, Sal, decides to take three strangers cross-country in exchange for gas money. While they are traveling, the radio warns of a serial killer on the prowl. What starts off as a traditional horror tale soon becomes much more with twists and turns on the road you won’t see coming.

Finally, Transformation and the Postmodern Identity Crisis, tells the story of what happened to Wonderland after Alice decided to stumble through the rabbit hole. This is far darker territory than Tim Burton ever dared take such classic characters, though told with humor and wit.

Each story is cleverly crafted and unique. You won’t feel like you are treading over rehashed plot devices on this journey. This is not literature for those lacking in brain cells. These stories are complex and often require the reader to venture outside of their normal “reality.”

Lisa Mason might just be the female Phillip K. Dick. Like Dick, Mason’s stories are far more than just sci-fi tales, they are brimming with insight into human consciousness and the social condition.Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is a sci-fi collection of excellent quality. If you like deeply crafted worlds with strange, yet relatable characters, then you won’t want to miss it.”
—http://www.thebookbrothers.com/2013/09/the-book-brothers-review-strange.html#more

So there you have it, my friends. I love short stories! Share the love here!